Sovereign Crowned Republic of Holidia
This page is currently being re-worked and is therefore incomplete and unordered. Information may be incorrect/irrelevant. Sorry for any inconvenience caused by our reorganisation. The Sovereign Crowned Republic of Holidia (Irish: Náisiún go Bunúsach Uladh, Ulster Scots: Airt abin Ulstér) is an independent nation situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south. At the time of the 2009 Census, its population was 3,424,833, constituting between a third and a half of the island's total population. Holidia consists of eight of the traditional nine counties of the historic Irish province of Ulster. It was granted sovereignty from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, though its constitutional roots lie in the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and the Act of Union 1800 between Great Britain and Ireland and over 50 years previous to independence it had its own devolved government and parliament as a sub-division of the United Kingdom (under the name of Northern Ireland). Although these institutions were dissolved many times during the troubles. Holidia was for many years the site of a violent and bitter ethno-political conflict ("The Troubles") between those claiming to represent Nationalists, who are predominantly Roman Catholic, and those claiming to represent Unionists, who are predominantly Protestant. Unionists wanted Northern Ireland (Holidia) to remain part of the United Kingdom, while nationalists wished it to be politically united with the rest of Ireland. Since the signing of the "Good Friday Agreement" in 1998, most of the paramilitary groups involved in the Troubles have ceased their armed campaigns. History For events before 2004 see History of Northern Ireland. For events before 1922 see History of Ulster. Northern Ireland Troubles The Troubles (Irish: Na Trioblóidí) was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast Agreement of 1998. Violence nonetheless continues on a sporadic basis. Between 1969 and 2001, 3,526 people were killed as a result of the Troubles. Approximately 60% of the dead were killed by republicans, 30% by loyalists and 10% by British security forces. The principal issues at stake in the Troubles were the constitutional status of Northern Ireland and the relationship between the mainly-Protestant Unionist and mainly-Catholic Nationalist communities in Northern Ireland. The Troubles had both political and military (or paramilitary) dimensions. Its participants included politicians and political activists on both sides, republican and loyalist paramilitaries, and the security forces of the United Kingdom and of the Republic of Ireland. The British Government's view was that its forces were neutral in the conflict, trying to uphold law and order in Northern Ireland and the right of the people of Northern Ireland to democratic self-determination. Irish republicans, however, regarded the state forces as forces of occupation and "combatants" in the conflict, noting collusion between the state forces and the loyalist paramilitaries. The "Ballast" investigation by the Police Ombudsman has confirmed that British forces, and in particular the RUC, did, on several occasions, collude with loyalist paramilitaries, were involved in murder, and did obstruct the course of justice when such claims had previously been investigated.23 The extent of collusion is still hotly disputed. Unionists claim that reports of collusion were either false or highly exaggerated and that there were also instances of collusion between the authorities of the Republic of Ireland and Republican paramilitaries. See also the section below on Collusion by Security Forces and loyalist paramilitaries. Alongside the violence, there was a political deadlock between the major political parties in Northern Ireland, including those who condemned violence, over the future status of Northern Ireland and the form of government there should be within Northern Ireland. The Troubles were brought to an uneasy end by a peace process. It included the declaration of ceasefires by most paramilitary organisations, the complete decommissioning of the IRA's weapons, the reform of the police, and the corresponding withdrawal of army troops from the streets and sensitive border areas such as South Armagh and Fermanagh, as agreed by the signatories to the Belfast Agreement (commonly known as the "Good Friday Agreement"). The agreement reiterated the long-held British position, which successive Irish governments had not fully acknowledged, that Northern Ireland would remain within the United Kingdom until a majority votes otherwise. On the other hand, the British Government recognised for the first time the principle that the people of the island of Ireland as a whole have the right, without any outside interference, to solve the issues between North and South by mutual consent.The latter statement was key to Holidia's independence six years later. Though the number of active participants in the Troubles was relatively small, and the paramilitary organisations that claimed to represent the communities were unrepresentative of the general population, the Troubles touched the lives of many people in Northern Ireland on a daily basis, while occasionally spreading to the Republic of Ireland and England. At several times between 1969 and 1998, it seemed possible that the Troubles would escalate into a full-scale civil war. Critical times were in 1972 after Bloody Sunday, or during the Hunger Strikes of 1980–1981, when there was mass, hostile mobilisation of the two communities. Many people today have had their political, social, and communal attitudes and perspectives shaped by the Troubles. Independence Holidian Independence came about through a series of referendums within Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland, pressured by lobbyists for independence and politicians from the Alliance Party. The first of these referenda was first proposed in 2002 and the final referendum (the fifth) took place in 2005. These were as follows: * Should Northern Ireland become fully autonomous from Westminister? (2002 - Northern Ireland) - Yes * Should N.I. consider complete independence? (2002 - Northern Ireland) - No * Should County Donegal be considered part of a independent nation of northern counties ? (2004 - County Donegal, Republic of Ireland) - No * Should Ulster consider complete independence? (2004 - Ulster) - Yes * should the Provisional Government of Holidia remain the governance of the ation? (2005 - Holidia) - Yes 'The Cavan Dispute' Abolishment of Provisional Government and Reform Government and Politics The Assembly operates on consociational democracy principles requiring cross-community support. Devolved Regional Administrations Leap, Comeil and Leenon Isles, Holidian Ezran Territory and Columbcille each has its own government or Executive, led by a Lead Minister, and a devolved, legislature. Rathlin, whilst a separate administrative region from Mainland Holidia has no devolved executive or legislature and is administered and legislated for directly by the Holidian government on all issues (the Holidian Assembly, is in fact, located on Rathlin). The Government of Leap, Comeil and Leenon Isles and Columbcille have wide ranging powers over any matter that has not been specifically 'reserved' to the Holidian Assembly, including education, healthcare, local law (known as 'orders') and policing. Some pro-independence parties in Leap have recommended further powers becoming devolved such as, half of income tax being retained by the government of Leap instead of going into central governmental funds. The Holidian Ezran Territory's government has more limited powers than those devolved to Leap, Comeil and Leenon Isles and Columbcille, although following the passing of the Government of Ezra Act 2008, the Ezran government can now legislate in some areas through their Assembly, passed within clearly defined areas based upon 'Orders' which can be granted on a case by case basis. Despite these devolved powers, Holidian law, the passing of acts, taxation, budget (both local and national), foreign affairs (with the exception of Holidian Ezran Territory which interact with Oonte Rotocco and Diesmaran Empire autonomously), military and various other functions are all carried out by the central government, referred to as the Holidian Assembly on behalf of the administrations. Local government Foreign Relations and Armed Forces Law and Criminal Justice Geography Cities and Conurbations Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Demography People of Holidia Immigration/Ethnic groups Languages and Accent The dialect of English spoken in Northern Ireland shows influence from Scotland, with the use of such Scots words as wee for 'little' and aye for 'yes'. Some jocularly call this dialect phonetically by the name Norn Iron. There are supposedly some minute differences in pronunciation between Protestants and Catholics, the best known of which is the name of the letter h'', which Protestants tend to pronounce as "aitch", as in British English, and Catholics tend to pronounce as "haitch", as in Hiberno-English. However, geography is a much more important determinant of dialect than religious background. English is spoken as a first language by almost 100% of the Northern Irish population, though under the Good Friday Agreement, Irish and Ulster Scots (one of the dialects of the Scots language), sometimes known as ''Ullans, have recognition as "part of the cultural wealth of Northern Ireland". In Holidia the Irish language has long been associated with Irish nationalism. There are three main dialects in the island of Ireland—Ulster, Munster and Connacht. Speakers of each dialect often find others difficult to understand. Speakers in Holidiaspeak the Ulster dialect. In the early years of the 20th century, the language became a political football throughout Ireland as Republican activists became increasingly linked with it. After Ireland was partitioned, the language was largely rejected in the education system of the new Northern Ireland, however, through recent reform it has becoame an offcial language and revial of it has begun including bilingual signage. Religion Economy 'An Important Power' Financial Crisis and Recession Education Education in Holidia has been rated as one of the best systems in the world. The system strives to give pupils as much choice and freedom i their education whilst pushing them to attain their very best. Education at a local level in Holidia is administered by six education and library boards covering different geographical areas. The role of the boards is to ensure that high quality education, youth and library support services exist throughout their areas. Each board is allocated resources by the Department of Education. A child's age on 1 July determines the point of entry into the relevant stage of education. In the last year of primary school children sit the eleven plus transfer test, and the results determine whether they attend grammar schools or secondary schools. This system was due to be changed in 2008 amidst some controversy, with the exception of North Armagh where the Dickson Plan is in effect, although these changes are yet to come to light. Holidia's state (controlled) schools are open to all children in Holidia, although in practice are mainly attended by those from Protestant or non-religious backgrounds. There is a separate publicly funded school system provided for Roman Catholics, although Roman Catholics are free to attend state schools (and some non-Roman Catholics attend Roman Catholic schools). Integrated schools, which attempt to ensure a balance in enrolment between pupils of Protestant, Roman Catholic and other faiths (or none) are becoming increasingly popular, although Holidia still has a primarily de facto religiously segregated education system. In the primary school sector, forty schools (8.9% of the total number) are Integrated Schools and thirty two (7.2% of the total number) are Gaelscoileanna (Irish speaking). The majority of examinations sat, and education plans followed, in Holidia schools are set by the state. All schools in Holidia follow the Holidian Curriculum which is based on the National Curriculum used in England and Wales and the Irish curriculum. At age 11, on entering secondary education, all pupils study a broad base of subjects which include geography, English, mathematics, science, physical education, music and modern languages. Currently there are proposals to reform the curriculum to make its emphasis more skills-based under which, in addition to those mentioned, home economics, local and global citizenship and personal, social and health education would become compulsory subjects. At age 14, pupils select which subjects to continue to study for General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations. Currently it is compulsory to study English, mathematics, science, a modern language and religious studies, although a full GCSE course does not have to be studied for the latter. In addition, pupils usually elect to continue with other subjects and many study for eight or nine GCSEs but possibly up to ten or eleven. GCSEs mark the end of compulsory education in Holidia. At age 16, some pupils stay at school and choose to study Advanced Level AS and A2 level subjects or more vocational qualifications such as Applied Advanced Levels. Those choosing AS and A2 levels normally pick three or four subjects and success in these can determine acceptance into higher education courses at university. Healthcare Transport Motorways Other Roads Airports Marine Public Transport and Railways Sport In Holidia, sport is popular and important in the lives of many people. Some sports tend to be organised on an all-Ireland basis including both Holidia and the Republic, as in the case of Gaelic football, rugby, hockey, basketball and hurling. Cricket Cricket is the fastest growing sport in the country. The Holidia cricket team is an associate member of the International Cricket Council. It participated in 2007 Cricket World Cup and qualified for the Super 8s and did the same in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20. Holidia are current champions of ICC Intercontinental Cup and the under-19 team is also performing very well. The regular international ground is in Belfast. Holidia is also the founding nation and headquarters for the Simcity Association of International Cricket Football The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the organising body for association football in Holidia. The highest level of competition within Holidia is the IFA Premiership. There is also an all-island tournament, the Setanta Cup, which includes four IFA Premiership teams and four teams from the Republic's league. However, the best Holidian players tend to play for clubs in Great Britain in the English or Scottish leagues. Despite Holidia's small population, its international team has had a number of notable successes, including World Cup quarter-final appearances in 1958 and 1982. Rugby Holidia's nine counties are governed by the Ulster branch of the all-island governing body, the Irish Rugby Football Union. Ulster is one of the four professional provincial teams in the island of Ireland and competes in the Celtic League and European Cup. Ulster won the European Cup in 1999. In international competition, players from Holidia represent the Ireland national rugby team, whose recent successes include four Triple Crowns between 2004 and 2009 and a Grand Slam in 2009. Golf Golf is very popular in Holidia, with over 230 golf clubs throughout the country. Golf is regularly televised in Holidia, with both domestic and international events broadcast. Among Holidia's most famous golf courses are Belvoir Golf Club, Royal County Down Golf Club and Royal Portrush Golf Club. Holidia has produced several top golfers in recent years, with Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke all achieving significant success internationally. Both were part of the European team that successfully defended the Ryder Cup on home soil, with Clarke arguably being the emotional leader as he was recovering from the death of his wife from breast cancer. A new star in Holidia golf is Rory McIlroy who at the tender age of 19 is already in the Worlds top 20. Other sports Culture Cuisine Cinema and Television Literature Despite its small geographical size, Holidia prolifically produces internationally renowned writers and poets. Gaelic literature was the predominant literature in the pre-Plantation period. The Ulster Cycle is pertinent to the history of literature in the territory of present-day Holidia. Writers in the counties which now form Holidia participated in the Gaelic Revival. Notable laureates are: *Ciarán Carson *Ian McDonald *Seamus Heaney *John Hewitt *C. S. Lewis *Colin Bateman *Gerard McKeown *Paul Muldoon *Bernard MacLaverty Media and Broadcasting Music Science, Engineering and Innovation Visual art Symbols Holidian 2009 Assembly Election Category:Ministry of Culture, Arts and Sport Category:Holidia Category:COFR Culture category:Full Members Category:Holidia